Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization

The Director Strategy & Head Office is the senior strategy and Chief of Staff partner to the SVP & General Manager Golf. The role owns the Business Unit strategic planning architecture, leadership governance and enterprise follow-through required to convert long-term ambition into prioritized, measurable execution.

The role leads through influence rather than formal authority, orchestrating the Golf Senior Leadership Team agenda and major cross-functional initiatives across Product, Design, Development, Marketing, Sales, Finance and Human Resources. The role is accountable for decision quality, strategic coherence, operating cadence and transparent performance management across the Business Unit, and provides independent recommendations to the SVP & General Manager.

Key Responsibilities

Business Unit Strategy and Enterprise Decision Support

• Own the architecture and governance of annual and long-range strategic planning for adidas Golf, aligned with Brand and Enterprise direction.
• Translate strategy into a prioritized portfolio of initiatives, measurable outcomes, resource implications and clear executive decisions.
• Lead fact-based assessment of growth opportunities, business risks, competitive dynamics, organizational capability and operating model choices.
• Develop strategic recommendations and business cases for material investments, resource allocation and transformation decisions.
• Challenge assumptions, frame trade-offs and provide an independent point of view to the SVP & General Manager and Golf Senior Leadership Team.

Head Office, Governance and Leadership Effectiveness

• Own the Golf Senior Leadership Team operating cadence, decision forums, annual agenda and governance standards.
• Set requirements for executive pre-reads, decision papers, performance reviews and follow-through; ensure decisions have clear owners, outcomes and timelines.
• Lead preparation of strategic narratives and executive communications for enterprise forums and key business moments.
• Monitor the portfolio of Business Unit priorities, surface material risks and dependencies, and drive timely intervention or escalation.
• Act as delegate and integrator for the SVP & General Manager on assigned strategic topics while preserving clear decision rights.

Transformation and Organizational Effectiveness

• Lead complex cross-functional transformation initiatives that materially affect Business Unit performance, operating model or organizational capability.
• Design program governance, workstreams, milestones, measures and decision paths for priority transformations.
• Partner with Finance, HR and functional leaders on operating model, organization design, capability and resource alignment.
• Influence senior leaders without direct authority, resolve conflicting interests and maintain accountability across functions.
• Build repeatable strategy, governance and continuous improvement capabilities across the Golf organization.

Decision Scope and Accountability

• Business Unit-wide scope spanning all major functions and global interfaces.
• Accountable for strategy process, leadership governance, executive decision support, transformation program integrity and portfolio visibility.
• Has authority to set Head Office standards, require decision-quality inputs, convene cross-functional work and escalate unresolved risks to the SVP & General Manager.

Key Relationships

Golf Leadership

• SVP & General Manager Golf
• Golf Senior Leadership Team
• Functional leaders across Product, Design, Development, Marketing, Sales and Commercial

Enterprise Partners

• Brand Strategy & Head Office
• Corporate Strategy
• Finance, Human Resources and Business Operations
• Consumer & Market Insights and Global Sales

Broader Network

• Head Office and Strategy counterparts across Business Units
• Creation Centers and enterprise project teams
• External advisors and consultants, as required

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Exceptional strategic thinking, structured problem solving and executive judgment.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen with the ability to translate analysis into decisions.
• Executive presence and ability to challenge, influence and align senior leaders constructively.
• Advanced program governance, organizational effectiveness and transformation leadership.
• Ability to lead complex work through influence without direct authority.
• Outstanding executive writing, storytelling and presentation capability.
• Resilience, discretion and comfort operating in ambiguity on confidential business topics.

Requisite Education & Experience / Minimum Qualifications

• University degree in Business Administration, Strategy, Marketing, Economics or a related field. Master degree or MBA preferred.
• 10+ years of relevant experience in strategy, consulting, business development, transformation, operations or related functions.
• Demonstrated accountability for Business Unit or enterprise-level strategy, executive governance and complex cross-functional transformation.
• Proven experience partnering with and influencing senior leadership teams in a global matrix.
• Strong analytical, financial and business planning capabilities.
• Experience in consumer goods, sporting goods, retail, lifestyle or a related industry preferred.
• Advanced Microsoft 365 skills, particularly PowerPoint and Excel.
• Fluent English, written and spoken.

• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at adidas means championing individual uniqueness and cultivating a culture of belonging in which everyone can create at their best.  We embrace diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives and seek to create a workforce that reflects our consumers and communities.​
• adidas offers robust and progressive medical, including HSA (Health Savings Account) with employer funding or FSA (Flexible Spending Account) options, dental, vision, prescription drug coverage, adoption, with surrogate and fertility support, short and long-term disability, and basic life and AD&D insurance, which can be supplemented with employee-paid coverage. Employees are able to enroll in adidas’ 401k plan and Stock Purchase Plan with employer match. Full-time employees are eligible for education assistance and generous Leave policies including 12 weeks of paid parental leave. ​
• Employees are eligible to earn an annual bonus based on both company and personal performance. Employees accrue prorated flexible time off in the amount .4388 hours per day that increases with years of service, twelve paid holidays throughout the calendar year and Service Time Off during milestone years.
• The anticipated low and high end of the base pay range for this position is $151,100 - $195,500. Actual salary will be based on various factors, such as a candidate’s experience, qualifications, skills and competencies, proficiency for the role.​
• At adidas we offer a Hybrid work policy which requires attendance in the office Monday through Thursday, with the flexibility to work remotely on Friday each week. For work requiring a high degree of collaboration or an in-person presentation, in-office attendance is required even on Friday. The working location of this position is Carlsbad, California.​
• Though our teammates hail from all corners of the world, our working language is English.